Some folks disparaged this book because it was made to follow a TV series (a good one at that), but I didn't understand the hating. The book does touch on some things that require a fundamental understanding of finance and economics, but by no means made it confusing nor unreadable.

Personally, I find it to be one of if not the best treatise on the creation and evolution of our global economy ever put into print. Sure, Ferguson indulges on some personal views in relation to why banks/financiers drive change, but from a historical perspective, and tying into current affairs, it is ripe with details and provides the reader with a mindset as to how/why the greediest of all people continue to exploit a system with so many fundamental holes and non-transparency. That probably wasn't Ferguson's intention with the book, but the use of historical examples that might be out of some people's realm of knowledge ties to what is going on in our global economy today. Basically, the John Laws of the world are still around, but there is more structure in place to protect the exposed.

"All Beckett needs to do to cap off this mess is order some fried chicken and beer" – 5/10/12 before Beckett got chased in the 3rd at Fenway.

For those who have read the The Girl With trilogy, I am a little over 25% through Dragon Tattoo. I am already anticipating the other two and am curious. Good enough to fire through all three in a row or split them up?

pup wrote:For those who have read the The Girl With trilogy, I am a little over 25% through Dragon Tattoo. I am already anticipating the other two and am curious. Good enough to fire through all three in a row or split them up?

I went straight from "Dragon Tattoo" to "Played with Fire". I had some trouble with Dragon Tattoo at the beginning - writing style, 10's of different characters, figuring out the personalities, plot development dragged at first (IMO), etc. Took me awhile to get hooked on "Tattoo". Not so with the second book - picks up almost right where the first one left off (a year later but gives you all of the required background) so this time around I'm into it from the first page, but only 100 pages in so far. Ticks along really well, where parts of the first book really dragged for me.

Not sure what I'll do at the end of this one, but I suspect I'll go straight to "Hornet's Nest"

I don't need to be patient, they're going to be shit forever. - CDT, discussing my favorite NFL team

pup wrote:For those who have read the The Girl With trilogy, I am a little over 25% through Dragon Tattoo. I am already anticipating the other two and am curious. Good enough to fire through all three in a row or split them up?

I went straight from "Dragon Tattoo" to "Played with Fire". I had some trouble with Dragon Tattoo at the beginning - writing style, 10's of different characters, figuring out the personalities, plot development dragged at first (IMO), etc. Took me awhile to get hooked on "Tattoo". Not so with the second book - picks up almost right where the first one left off (a year later but gives you all of the required background) so this time around I'm into it from the first page, but only 100 pages in so far. Ticks along really well, where parts of the first book really dragged for me.

Not sure what I'll do at the end of this one, but I suspect I'll go straight to "Hornet's Nest"

Thought the same thing through the beginning of Tattoo. Had enough people not recommended it so highly, I may have punted.

pup wrote:For those who have read the The Girl With trilogy, I am a little over 25% through Dragon Tattoo. I am already anticipating the other two and am curious. Good enough to fire through all three in a row or split them up?

I went straight from "Dragon Tattoo" to "Played with Fire". I had some trouble with Dragon Tattoo at the beginning - writing style, 10's of different characters, figuring out the personalities, plot development dragged at first (IMO), etc. Took me awhile to get hooked on "Tattoo". Not so with the second book - picks up almost right where the first one left off (a year later but gives you all of the required background) so this time around I'm into it from the first page, but only 100 pages in so far. Ticks along really well, where parts of the first book really dragged for me.

Not sure what I'll do at the end of this one, but I suspect I'll go straight to "Hornet's Nest"

Thought the same thing through the beginning of Tattoo. Had enough people not recommended it so highly, I may have punted.

Same here- The sample on Kindle didn't come close to pulling me in. But so many people here recommended it I gave it a shot. Got about halfway through from Christmas to New Year and haven't been able to read for a week or so. It picks up but it is not an immediately engaging read and it's difficult for me to build the back drop and landscapes in my head given the foreign setting.

pup wrote:For those who have read the The Girl With trilogy, I am a little over 25% through Dragon Tattoo. I am already anticipating the other two and am curious. Good enough to fire through all three in a row or split them up?

I went straight from "Dragon Tattoo" to "Played with Fire". I had some trouble with Dragon Tattoo at the beginning - writing style, 10's of different characters, figuring out the personalities, plot development dragged at first (IMO), etc. Took me awhile to get hooked on "Tattoo". Not so with the second book - picks up almost right where the first one left off (a year later but gives you all of the required background) so this time around I'm into it from the first page, but only 100 pages in so far. Ticks along really well, where parts of the first book really dragged for me.

Not sure what I'll do at the end of this one, but I suspect I'll go straight to "Hornet's Nest"

Thought the same thing through the beginning of Tattoo. Had enough people not recommended it so highly, I may have punted.

Same here- The sample on Kindle didn't come close to pulling me in. But so many people here recommended it I gave it a shot. Got about halfway through from Christmas to New Year and haven't been able to read for a week or so. It picks up but it is not an immediately engaging read and it's difficult for me to build the back drop and landscapes in my head given the foreign setting.

Just finished the Millenium trilogy (Dragon Tattoo, Fire, Hornet's Nest) and it was great. Picked up the set a few days after Black Friday, so didn't take long to finish over 1500 pages. Read the 2nd book the fastest and it was probably my favorite but it might be because I saw the 1st Swedish movie before reading any of the books, so I knew what was coming in book 1. Now just need to watch the other 2 Swedish movies and hope Fincher doesn't screw up the American versions.

Was on a Cleveland kick and read these two along with the book about Cleveland Sports venues. No matter what was done Cleveland would have declined, but becoming so large so fast created some of the issues that hastened the overall decline. Inept leadership brought the downfall of the city and county.

However now I am back on Rove's book, which just started getting readable. Got more into the W 2000-2006'ish and his battle with Patrick Fitzgerald. Decent book.

"When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with money and the man with money leaves with experience."

Moses had nothin better to do in Connecticuit so he and some vets got on a few jank boats looking for a boys weekend at Put-In-Bay. Instead they landed near a swamp next to a crocked river. Probably through ineptitude. The owners and FO's of Clevelnad pro sports teams can trace their ancestry back to the original settlers.

In 1797, the lacross team of settlers had a 6 goal lead vs the Huron tribe team with 10 minutes before sun set. They manage to lose 7 - 6 as the winning goal is scored as the sun peeks beneihe the horizon. Their best lacross player jumps on the next wagon train west, saying he's taking his talents to Cali. Two other players swop wives.

It happened to be midway between the iron ore reserves in Minnesota and the coal to the southeast and on a major natural inter-modal route of waterways & later railways to the midwest and east when the modern steel recipe was invented.

A shitload of immigrants came cause there was a shitload of jobs. Some indutrialists made a big shitload of caysh.

The city exploaded. Then just when it was going into major US city mode to rival Chicago and Detroit, the Great Depression hit and cold-cocked all progress.

The immigrants kids went off to fight The Big One. So lots of African-Americans moved up from the south to keep the industry humming for the Arsenal of Democracy.

10 - 15 great years followed.

A shitload of malls get built. Ted Knight does Southgate USA commercials. Maple Heights? Isn't that like in Akron?

Half the people left. Michale Stanley still sells out Blossom every day for a decade. Jonah Koslin burns with envy. Jon Gorman stuffs ballot boxes. Art lies.

Half of the remaining half leaves. The other half would hve, but they were sleeping off their hang overs after 10 years of partying their asses off in the Flats. "Hey, was I that drunk, or were the Indians actually good for a while? "

Always had a casual interest in the Roman history. However after buying and reading The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius I started to get a bit more hardcore. Of course the Decline and Fall doesn't focus on the years of the Republic, more or less just enough information to understand the context of the current precedings.

Only about 300 of 1200 pages of this version. The meat is post the Antonines. Being Roman Emperor was usually followed up quickly by death. Want to hit up the Republic and Kingdom years after this, then the great Generals and politicians.

"When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with money and the man with money leaves with experience."

Also a huge fan of Greek politics and such stuff. Read just about every dialogue by Plato. Agree on history after the sons of Constantine. Though I have been getting an itch to read up more on the East/Byzantine Empire.

Fucking 4th crusade is a good reason to hate on the Roman Catholics/Europeans/Franks.

"When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with money and the man with money leaves with experience."

Orenthal wrote:Also a huge fan of Greek politics and such stuff. Read just about every dialogue by Plato. Agree on history after the sons of Constantine. Though I have been getting an itch to read up more on the East/Byzantine Empire.

Fucking 4th crusade is a good reason to hate on the Roman Catholics/Europeans/Franks.

OT but there is a really really good 3 part series on The founding of the Athenian Democracy on Netflix. It's PBS, but it's good...... and narrated by Liam Neeson.

One of the more detailed biographies regarding Lennon. The author goes in depth to Lennon's early childhood and family history that I had never heard before. Instead of showing Lennon as a peace and love hippie, he shows the conflicted child who could be either good or bad w/ a boatload of issues.

Galley Boys are slop on top of a so-so burger and a bun you coulde get from a Covneninet food mart generic pack. They the Antoine Joubert of burgers; soft, sloppy, oozing grease and cheap sauce and extremely overrated by a biased fan base. Proof that if you throw enough cheap sauce shit on a burger you still can't overcome the lame burger. -JB

Agree or disagree with him, Hitch has a mastery of the English language that few can even dream of. His writing is a lot like a good cup of coffee: its an immense pleasure, fires up your brain, and is often filled with booze.

JJN wrote:Agree or disagree with him, Hitch has a mastery of the English language that few can even dream of. His writing is a lot like a good cup of coffee: its an immense pleasure, fires up your brain, and is often filled with booze.

Exactly. He could write a a book on watching paint dry and it probably still be an interesting read. It's sad to think he probably wont be around much longer, very few people with stage 4 oesophageal cancer live 5 years. I know he's had to cancel his speaking engagements as of late.